On Monday, senior executives from several AI‑focused companies urged a pause on the rapid rollout of increasingly powerful models, a plea that sent the shares of Nvidia, AMD, Intel, Micron and other chip makers sharply lower. The industry warning coincided with President Donald Trump’s public dismissal of AI‑safety concerns, which he described as a "sick conspiracy" aimed at stifling data‑center growth.
Industry Calls for a Pause
At a summit in San Francisco, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and other leaders called the current pace of development “reckless,” suggesting that regulators and companies should consider a temporary slowdown to assess risks. Broadcom chief Hock Tan told investors that, despite the debate, the company’s AI‑related revenue targets remain unchanged. Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, speaking to reporters, said his firm would not "let an AI slowdown happen," underscoring a divide within the sector.
Political Pushback and Market Reaction
President Trump, using his social‑media platform, rebuked the warnings, labeling them a "hoax" and a "sick conspiracy" against AI and data‑center construction. In a phone call with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Trump reiterated his stance, and later a recorded exchange placed him on speakerphone during an Nvidia all‑hands meeting, according to NBC News.
"These concerns are a sick conspiracy," Trump said, dismissing calls for additional safeguards.
Financial markets responded swiftly. Reuters and CNBC reported that AI‑linked stocks fell sharply, pulling down broader chip indexes, while other Wall Street sectors held steadier after a modest dip in oil prices, as noted by AP News. Yahoo Finance and MarketWatch highlighted that Nvidia, AMD and Intel saw the biggest declines, even as cybersecurity shares rallied on the same day.
Global Policy Context
Across the Atlantic, the European Central Bank’s Christine Lagarde warned that Europe’s reliance on U.S. and Chinese AI could give external partners "unprecedented leverage" in trade negotiations, urging the bloc to develop its own AI infrastructure and data centers. Reuters later reported an EU proposal to ban AI chatbots and social‑media services for users under 15, signaling a possible regulatory shift.
In Beijing, state media echoed a different tone, calling the slowdown calls "fear‑mongering" and urging openness and inclusivity in AI development. Meanwhile, The New York Times highlighted concerns from biologists that future models trained on biological data could be misused to accelerate the creation of harmful pathogens, calling for stronger safeguards.
Other industry moves continued despite the debate. OpenAI announced a $300 million acquisition of camera‑technology startup Glass Imaging, as reported by TechCrunch. Chip‑design startup Cornelis raised $205 million to introduce a networking solution aimed at reducing GPU idle time, challenging Nvidia’s dominance. Apple began testing a redesigned Siri AI ahead of the iPhone 18 launch, according to CNBC.
Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg and cited in The Wall Street Journal said the clash between industry caution and political pressure could shape the next wave of AI regulation. While some investors remain wary of “doomsday” scenarios, others view the President’s push for an "insurmountable tech edge" over China as a catalyst for continued growth. The coming weeks are likely to determine whether a coordinated slowdown or an accelerated rollout will dominate the sector’s trajectory.
